


What is Good -- What is Bad

by whichstar



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern with Bending (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Flower Shop Mai, Romantic Comedy, The inherent homoeroticism of a superhero and its villain, literally no one asked for this, replenish the Mailee tag on AO3 2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27724963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whichstar/pseuds/whichstar
Summary: Republic City is overrun by crime of all sizes! Including a certain pink clad villain trying to steal a knife throwing vigilante's heart?What happens when the masks fall off and a new threat is on the horizon? Superhero Mai must join forces with the villain Circus Freak all the while juggling her home life, and... feelings? Supervillain Ty Lee struggles to maintain her secret identity while helping hero Incognito out while Mai had one question in mind: who's that girl who keeps coming to the flower shop?-Mailee superhero au
Relationships: Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	1. Early Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Incognito - Mai  
> Circus Freak - Ty Lee
> 
> Other characters and their names should be self-explanatory.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incognito meets her wannabe arch-nemesis: Circus Freak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mai's sarcastic energy is unmatched. Chaotic Neutral hero.

Mai didn't often get called in to save the world in the most glamourous way, but she did happen to stop a lot of nuisances.

The superhero found herself sighing, peering through her black mask at what seemed to be a bomb contraption. There was a giant clock counting down with kids milling around it so Mai thought it was pretty safe to assume this was another bomb threat.

Yes, another.

What was this, like the third time?

She was perched on the half-constructed floor above the supposed bomb, weighing her options. The railing she sat behind bordered the second floor but served little protection as Mai could fit her whole body under it. She had come alone so there would be no backup until Aang arrived; she would have to execute this perfectly. And hopefully quick enough so she could go watch Tom-Tom's recital.

Mai eyed the construction equipment scattered below where she stood, maybe she could use them as cover? She had no idea where the villain could be, but she had her suspicions on who it was.

The kids were trapped in a hole. Like, a literal hole spanning the middle of the ground floor of the warehouse they were in. A school bus laid on its side smoking right next to the bomb contraption and the kids were crowding around the clock. Why they were doing that, Mai wasn't so sure. Upon further inspection of the warehouse, Mai could see a bunch of pink petals scattered around the floor.

She lept from her ledge, landing behind a bulldozer. Silently, she unsheathed a knife on both hands and steadily approached the pit. Any second now.

A whoosh of air sounded from her left and she pivoted, dodging a net that would've trapped her otherwise. Someone clad in pink and in an outfit similar to what an acrobat in the circus would wear appeared from the shadows, frowning at the missed shot. Mai wasn't sure how they hid so well while wearing pink but she wasn't about to ask in the middle of a fight.

Either way, her suspicions were confirmed; it was Cirus Freak, a supervillain who had become big news recently for her flamboyant stunts. Mai threw one of her knives at the new arrival, who dodged with a back handspring. Circus Freak's mask was an elaborate one you would find at a masquerade ball, and Mai could just see a pair of very pink lips curving in a familiar show of excitement.

"Third bomb threat this month?" Mai breathed out, manuevering her way towards the pit, all semblance of sneaking forgotten. She stepped over the rose petals. "That's got to be a new low."

"Oh what fun!" Circus cheered, narrowly dodging a dart filled with anesthesia. They were approaching slowly but steadily, much to Mai's chagrin. It was time to pull out some of Sokka's new inventions.

She tugged at one of her sleeves, sweating in the all black outfit. Trying her best to act cool and collected, she feigned a yawn. "Can we hurry this up? I got a show to catch."

Then, she released a dart that exploded with gas. Smoke filled their area of the warehouse and she dashed towards the pit. It suddenly smelled like rotten eggs and Mai cursed Sokka for his affinity with smelly stuff. Seriously, how could a superhero leave the fight without any suspicion if they smelled like trash after? She would have to scold him about it later.

A flurry of motion happened above her and the villain flipped over and landed right in front of Mai's tracks, causing her to skid to a stop. She glared beneath the mask at the grinning circus performer and readied her knives once more. A quick glance at the clock signalled that she had five minutes left.

"Why so soon, dear Incognito?" Circus Freak's mouth formed a pout. "You didn't even call me by name yet."

Mai, aka Incognito, watched cautiously as the villain in front of her raised her hands like an orchestra conductor. Music started all around them and hidden fairy lights hung around the walls lit up in varying colors. The villain beamed, bouncing on her toes, her ponytail swishing with every moment.

What? This was new. Mai had to take a few precious seconds to let it all seep in. Was the music... Christmas? Dumbfounded, she looked to the ground only to notice that the petals were shaped in the form of hearts. What was all this for?

"Do you like it?" Circus asked eagerly.

"Why in Agni's name are you playing Jingle Bell Rock in the middle of November." Mai fixed her with a murderous stare.

"November is just early December." The villain shrugged.

Mai sighed and crouched to the ground. "This is why I became a hero, to protect the world from people who think like you."

Circus Freak started to giggle but that turned to a muffled shout of surprise when Mai tackled the girl. They fell into the pit, rolling over one another to the students below. Mai refused to let go, struggling to find purchase on the villain's tight uniform.

Circus seemed to freeze up at the contact, Mai chalked that up to surprise but felt a glimmer of satisfaction of going against expectations. It wasn't like Mai to attack her opponents head on. She preferred keeping her distance and let her knives do all the touching for her, but she was running out of time and Tom-Tom's recital was soon and she was getting impatient so tackling it was.

They tumbled to a stop with Circus on top of her. A beat passed where startled gray met gold before Mai pushed the girl off and scrambled to the bomb contraption, pushing past startled kids and wincing from the new array of bruises that formed from the fall down.

She stared at the contraption. "Are you kidding me."

The so called bomb contraption was just counting down the minutes till 'the best song in the world' played: All I Want For Christmas Is You.

Or at least, that's what it said it was counting down too. Mai had no trouble believing that it was the truth, after all, this villain in particular seemed to like having things straightfoward -- nothing like some of the other villains she'd seen.

A student tapped her on the shoulder. "So, are you going to save us or not."

"I." Mai managed out through her roiling disgust. "Am. Not. Going. Near. That. Thing."

"But there's a bomb threat--"

"There's no bomb threat, Zhu Li already coded it out." Another student interrupted. He puffed out his chest, pointing to a smaller girl with round glasses who was sitting down with a computer in hand.

Mai directed her disgusted and slightly baffled gaze to the crowd of students. "What do you mean you guys coded it out."

The student who pointed at Zhu Li shrugged. "We're part of the robotics team."

"Oh." Mai said, not really knowing what else to say. That explained why the kids were huddled around the bomb in the beginning. "Then why didn't you code out the song too?"

Zhu Li pushed up her glasses. "It's just Christmas music, it won't harm anyone."

Mai felt like throwing up her hands in the air but refrained from doing so, aware that she had a reputation to maintain. She turned around, leaving the crowd and in the opposite direction of where Circus was. She scoured the ceiling, noting the railings on the second floor where she entered the building from.

"Where are you going?" Another student called, impatience lacing their voice. "There's no way out."

"For you, maybe." Mai deadpanned, pulling out a metal cylinder from the deep pockets of her pants. She pressed the button on the side, hearing awed murmurs as the tip of the cylinder unfolded into hooks. A proud smirk formed as she pushed it into the slot in her wrist holders, sometimes she was thankful for some of Sokka's inventions -- it gave her the ability to show off.

"Hey." The student complained. "Aren't you supposed to save us?"

Mai sighed, these robotics kids were getting on her nerves. She aimed, launched the cylinder, which led a metal wire through the air, and waited for the wire to wrap itself securely around the railings before tugging to make sure it was sturdy.

That's when she decided to address the annoying middle schoolers. "I don't save Christmas apologists. You'll just have to sit tight till Blind Bandit comes."

She ducked, missing a punch thrown by Circus who finally decided to get her act together. A soft curse escaped her lips as she struggled to press the button that would retract the metal wire and pull her up while dodging those deadly fists. Somehow, she was able to do so, but not before her leg became chi-blocked.

Mai shot upwards, holding onto the metal wire for dear life with all three of her working limbs. She watched the clock tick down from the minute mark, wishing to Agni above that she would be able to escape before hearing that dreaded song. The students along with Circus became smaller, and Mai was significantly less worried about leaving a villain with young children compared to before.

That's what they deserved for being Christmas apologists. Plus, as far as villains were, Circus was one of the less harmful ones. Her stunts felt more like grabs for attention than anything, Mai reckoned that the kids would be fine. Toph would pick them up soon anyways.

She, on the other hand, had a recital to catch. While untangling the cylinder from the railing, Mai could hear the strains of the previous Christmas song come to an end. She urgently hopped towards the way she arrived from, an opening in the wall that revealed an empty field two stories down.

The cursed sounds of bells filled the air and Mai jumped.

Falling was something she enjoyed, but of course Aang had to catch her. She grunted as air pushed and billowed around her, setting her down gently on the top of Appa's saddle.

"I didn't th-"

"Fly." Mai interrupted. "Let's get as far as possible from that song."

Aang opened his mouth to crack a joke but it turned into a nochalant whistle when he saw the annoyed expression on his fellow hero's face.

"Wow Incognito. Hate Christmas that much?" He asked once out of earshot of Mariah Carey's adlibs.

"I don't hate it." Mai relaxed, massaging her numb leg. "It just doesn't belong in November."

"I mean, okay?" Aang grinned. "What's this, your third run in with Circus this month?"

"And all of them were bomb threats," Mai agreed, feeling slowly seeping back into her leg. Luckily Circus hadn't hit it that hard this time. She reached for the backpack on Appa's saddle. "Turn around please, you know the drill."

Aang jumped up into the air, and turned his attention to the horizon. He tugged at the reins and Appa flew a bit higher. Mai quickly changed into recital-approved clothes, stripping out of her bodysuit.

"I thought you were going to exit at the first floor entrance, and be later." Aang started conversationally. "I was just flying over when I saw you about to jump. What about the middle schoolers?"

"They'll survive," Mai replied dryly. "Circus is hardly a threat now that the bomb's disabled and they're all Christmas apologists so don't feel bad."

She could hear the amusement in his voice. "If you say so."

"You're safe to look now." Mai gave the heads up and shouldered her backpack. She checked the time on her phone and internally cursed; she was running late. "Can we go a bit faster? My brother's recital's today."

"Oh yeah of course! Address? And how stealthy?"

Mai gave the directions and told him to drop her off at the rooftop. Even with sky bisons being incredibly conspicuous, especially since they were so rare, a lot could go unnoticed in this city. Mai was fairly confident that her arriving from the rooftop wouldn't draw too many stares.

She was late to the start of the recital, but made it in time for Tom-Tom's performance. Her younger brother had taken an affinity to the piano much like Mai and her knives. Seven-years-old and he was already participating in recitals, Mai couldn't be prouder. It still seemed like yesterday when she was teaching him the basics for the first time, the toddler's pudgy hands on hers.

Mai was the first to stand up after Tom-Tom bowed, clapping as if her life depended on it. As expected, her parents showered him with praises right after the recital ended. He basked in the compliments, and his eyes lit up even more when he saw Mai.

"Mai! You made it!" He ran, wrapping her torso in a hug.

Mai tried to not wince as she felt the new bruises act up; she would have to let Katara look at them later. She tousled his gelled hair. "Of course I did, you looked great out there."

She looked over at her parents, refusing to wilt from the weight of their gazes. She hadn't left the house on the best of terms, a year ago, and hadn't really made the effort to try to bridge the gap. Their expressions took a one eighty when Tom-Tom turned towards them, hardened eyes transforming into doting ones. Mai stamped down her annoyance at the sight -- she got over her jealousy long ago.

A tense conversation followed and Mai declined their offer of dinner -- knowing it was for the best. She made some excuse up about work, delibrately keeping them in the dark about what she did for a living. Although she was pretty sure her mother knew through her aunt, it truly was a shame her mother didn't visit the shop often.

She gave Tom-Tom one last hug and a promise to come over before slipping away and into the night. Heading to the subway station, she pulled out her phone to report today's heroic event. Jazz filled her ears as she passed by a fancy restaurant -- the one her family would be eating at without her -- and she stopped for a bit to watch the fountain show going on next door. Republic City was beautiful when you could ignore the ridiculous amount of wannabe villains.

Mai was an oddity when it came to superheroes. It was mainly because she had no powers, but also because she had started her career in crime fighting in a very unconventional way: boredom. Boredom prompted her to take up knife throwing and boredom led her to joining the superhero gang.

Did it even count as a gang if they let most of the harmless villains go free? Whatever, that was a thought for another time. Mai turned her attention back to filling out her hero report, something Sokka was obsessed about them filling out every single time. She wrote down what happened in concise bullets, frowning as she realized just how crazy it sounded. Basically, she ended up stopping no bombs and refusing to touch a Christmas music countdown. Interesting. It definitely was one of her weirder missions.

Well, at least it wasn't like last time. Mai shuddered as she remembered the maze she had to go through with weird hearts and creepy pick up lines at every corner. Very often she questioned what went through Circus Freak's mind. Like, what kind of vibe was the very pink villain aiming for? Because Mai certainly didn't know.

She had been seeing more of Circus Freak recently. The villain always seemed to be working alone, and the stuff were getting stranger. At least she was somewhat predictable, and harmless. She never seemed to end up hurting her victims at least, and her fighting style was very peaceful compared to the other kinds Mai witnessed. The encounters were almost fun, albeit a bit weird with the overboard of hearts and pink.

She got off the subway and headed towards her apartment. It was nothing big, but it was her own and she liked it. What it lacked in size it made up for peace of mind. Mai sighed in relief when she locked her front door, throwing her bag down next to her coat rack and heading to the kitchen for leftovers.

"Christmas music in November." She muttered to herself moodily, and decided to play Halloween music just to spite Circus.

People who started Christmas early were the true villains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm publishing this without writing more in advance but November's almost ending and Mai will lose her excuse to hate Christmas soon.
> 
> I swear that this will be good, inconsistent updates and a half thought out plot, but it'll work out in the end -- I hope.
> 
> Please comment your thoughts! And if you come from my other mailee fic, look away <3 I'll update that one soon.


	2. Right Signals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Circus Freak is actually a hopeless romantic? Who could've known..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ty Lee: do you ever gay to the point of having to lie down in shock when your crush touches you? bc same <<3

Ty Lee was pouting when the Blind Bandit pulled them out of the pit. All that decoration and planning for nothing! All that daydreaming just to be thwarted by Incognito's hatred for the holidays and smart middle schoolers in robotics.

How was she supposed to know that Incognito hated _Christmas_?!! How was she supposed to know a bunch of middle schoolers would be able to defuse her bomb??

Not to mention, she absolutely froze up when Incognito tackled her. One second the hero was a meter away and Ty Lee was feeling very pleased with herself, the next second the hero was touching her.

Willingly.

It felt like something from a dream. Ty Lee swore that time slowed down as she felt Incognito's lithe body on top of hers and suddenly her heartbeat was speeding up at an unhealthy rate.

Incognito's dark hair whipped around them as they tumbled down and Ty Lee caught a whiff of flowers.

And for the split second, when Ty Lee was on top of Incognito at the bottom of the pit, she swore that their eyes met and sparks flew. When the hero pushed her off, all she could do was stumble back and lay there stunned.

Incognito smelled like flowers and it _wasn't fair_.

"Hey, Circus Freak, you still there?" The Blind Bandit interrupted her thoughts.

"I- uh yeah." Ty Lee flinched in surprise.

"Well." The young hero gestured to the entrance. "You're free to go."

"Thanks." Ty Lee flexed her arms, doing an experimental cartwheel. The bruises on her back throbbed, but they weren't horrible. Considering that it came from a rare moment of Incognito's touch, it was a small price to pay. She figured that the bruises Incognito got from the fall were worse; the hero had shielded the villain from the brunt of it.

Another hero appeared from the doorway, Ty Lee recognized him right away. The scar was the main giveaway, but so was his perpetually tired expression.

"Zuko!" She shouted, running up and embracing him. The Blind Bandit walked past the two and leaned against the wall, waiting.

"Ty Lee, I thought that was you." Zuko greeted. "I see you got thwarted by Incognito again."

If her heartbeat sped up at Incognito's name, Ty Lee didn't mention it. But she did see the Blind Bandit from the corner of her eye begin to grin, whatever that meant.

"Why am I so bad at being bad!" She complained instead, ignoring the blind hero ahead of them.

"I ask myself something like that all the time."

Her eyes lit up with an idea. "Maybe I should ask Azula for help."

"Nope, you definitely should not." Zuko replied instantly, eyes widening. "Please don't ask Azula."

Ty Lee gave a conspiratorial grin before walking away.

"Ty Lee, I'm serious!" Zuko shouted from behind her. "Don't ask Azula for help, it's a bad idea."

Ty Lee just waved, making her way out of the building and promptly tripping over the outstretched leg of the Blind Bandit.

"Incognito, huh?" She smirked and Ty Lee felt her stomach drop.

"What do you mean?" Ty Lee asked innocently.

"Your heartbeat's real fast right now." The Blind Bandit replied evasively.

"It's been a long day?"

The Blind Bandit tilted her head and Ty Lee straightened to make their height difference seem more prominent. She waited in silence for a while to see if the hero had anything more to say, but nothing came up.

Ty Lee had started walking away when the Blind Bandit called out. "Hey, Circus. Check out Mura's Flowers will you?"

"What? Why?"

"Just do it." Blind Bandit sounded smug. "Think of it as a favor."

Ty Lee frowned and resumed walking. Well, shoot, one of the heroes found out about her crush -- that didn't bode well -- the only other hero that knew about it was Suki.

And why Mura's Flowers? Ty Lee had never heard of the place before, did the Blind Bandit like it so much that they decided to promote it? She would have to discuss this with Azula and Suki to make sure there wasn't any traps.

Speaking of Azula, Ty Lee should call her for a ride. She glanced behind her shoulder to Zuko's dragon Druk a bit longingly, she could always ask Zuko for a lift, but that would risk making Azula mad. But hitching a ride on Druk was tempting.

Nevertheless, she kept her resolve and proceeded to call Azula to take her home. She also phoned Suki to come over, they needed to talk about the Incognito situation.

Heroes and villains shared an interesting dynamic in Republic City. Ty Lee had lost count of how many times she had gone free instead of jail. Personally, she treated it almost like a game, but she knew of others who took villainy seriously. She was even friends with some heroes, like Zuko! Those relationships came more as an accident than anything.

Ty Lee had never meant to hurt anyone, her whole fighting style was incapacitating instead of killing. She had just started it as a bet with Azula, then Incognito had come along to stop her and so Ty Lee had kept doing it. It was love at first punch.

"I just don't get it!" Ty Lee flopped onto her villainous pink bed. "I'm sending all the right signals, aren't I?"

Suki looked up from the corner of the room, lounging on a beanbag with her phone in hand. She stared at the supervillain in disbelief. "Yeah because kidnapping a group of students and threatening to bomb them is 'sending all the right signals.'"

Azula shrugged, taking up space on the other side of Ty Lee's bed. "I thought that plan sounded good."

"See?! Azula gets it." Ty Lee waved her hands around wildly. "You superheroes wouldn't understand."

Suki rolled her eyes, but couldn't really argue with that logic. "Have you, y'know.. tried _talking_ to her?"

Ty Lee stared. "Have I _what_ now?"

She exchanged glances with Azula, who looked equally confused.

"What do you mean trying to talk to her." Azula asked for the benefit of both of them.

Suki gave a heartwrenchingly dramatic sigh before regarding her two dysfunctional friends with a look. The look contained many messages, the most prominent being ' _you guys are so socially inept it's cute_ '. (Ty Lee might've added the cute part).

"Just talk to her," Suki said. "In, like, a non-life-or-death situation."

"Really?" Ty Lee asked. "That feels like it would be boring. Plus, there wouldn't be as much sarcastic comments. I love our hero-villain banter when we meet, did you know she called me a Christmas apologist today?"

Azula waved her hand. "Yeah yeah, complaining about how it's too early for Christmas and all that. She's right, you know, it is too early."

"It's never too early!" Ty Lee protested and Suki drew their attention back to the topic on hand.

"Incognito never runs out of smart comebacks," Suki assured Ty Lee. "It's just whether she vocalizes them or not."

Ty Lee almost smacked her head, of course! Suki was a hero, she knew Incognito personally! It was futile asking for info, Suki always made sure to never reveal her fellow hero's secrets, but she could at least help a friend out.

"Why didn't you tell me Incognito hated Christmas?"

"You never told me you were going to surprise her with Christmas music." Suki pointed out. "You just texted me to send Incognito over to the warehouse."

Azula snorted while Ty Lee considered the point, it was true. She soldiered on. "You said she likes flowers but she never pays attention to the ones I put out."

Suki opened her mouth but Ty Lee was on another tangent.

"Oh! Speaking of flowers, the Blind Bandit said to visit this one place, Mura's Flowers?"

A funny expression took over Suki's face. "The flower shop?"

"Yeah, do you know where that is? Why would the Blind Bandit tell me something like that?"

The hero blinked, stood up and stretched. "I'm going to leave now. You might want to brush up on your talking skills."

"Why?" Ty Lee exchanged confused glances with Azula.

"They might come in handier than you think." Suki winked. "Bye guys."

"Bye?" Ty Lee echoed back.

The door closed and Azula spoke up. "She's definitely keeping something from us."

"But what?"

Azula's thumbs flew across her phone as she pulled up the review page for Mura's Flowers. "Looks like a normal shop to me. Four point six stars, not bad."

"I'll visit tomorrow." Ty Lee decided. Whatever made two heroes act weird about one place needed to be checked out.

Maybe it was a clue to winning over Incognito's heart.

Mura's Flowers was nothing much. Or at least, it didn't seem like a shop that would cause two superheroes to point it out specifically. It was a small shop on a shopping street at the end of the block. Ty Lee appreciated the fresh smell of flowers and the photowall on the outer wall of the shop. Clearly, they were taking advantage of the social media craze going around with the pastel paint and white bench under their windows, which displayed many flowers.

But nothing about it screamed 'super'. She had texted Suki about it, bombarding the hero with questions, and the only reply she got was to wear something nice. So here she was in her favorite sweater crop and baggy jeans. Whatever this shop had, Ty Lee was prepared to chi-block if necessary.

Ty Lee walked in, looking around curiously. She made a beeline to a group of pink flowers, admiring their petals. Should she buy some for her next attempt in wooing Incognito? A fleeting plan started taking shape in her mind.

She decided to buy a bouquet for her room and looked around for any staff members who could help. Her eyes tracked over to the front desk where a lady had her back turned and was halfway through the back door. Ty Lee figured they were talking to a fellow coworker and decided to hang around the peonies until they seemed ready to approach.

From the corner of her eye, Ty Lee saw the lady turn around, closing the door behind her, and she felt her heart stutter. Mayday. Mayday. SOS. Ty Lee was going down. Pretty lady in sight.

The pretty lady in question wore a black turtleneck with a red apron over it. Her gaze was focused and Ty Lee swore that those cheekbones and jawline were chiseled out of stone. She wore sword earrings and Ty Lee instinctively wanted to compliment them and ask her how her eyeliner was so straight. Ty Lee had seen many pretty girls before, but the lady in front of her easily topped the list. Maybe it was because something about the way she held herself was so familiar.

Did she know this lady from somewhere?

Ty Lee siddled closer to the front desk, paying extra attention to what was on the shelves in order to act nonchalant. Another customer came to buy a pre-made arrangment and Ty Lee may or may not have eavesdropped the conversation.

"Ready to check out?" The cashier asked the customer monotonously.

Wait a minute. Ty Lee froze. She knew that voice, she would recognize it anywhere, even with a faux customer service filter on.

So that was why Toph told her to visit here and Suki advised her to wear something nice. That was unmistakeably Incognito's voice.

Ty Lee strained her ears to continue listening into the conversation. She sneaked a glance at the lady, barely being able to believe it. Was that really Incognito? No way, it couldn't be. What were the odds?

"No sir, those are not in bloom yet." Incognito's voice could be heard.

Yep, that was the quick witted superhero alright. Ty Lee felt her cheeks heat up and she perused the contents of the shelf in front of her with sudden interest. Incognito worked here.

Scratch what she said about this shop being nothing much, it had quickly become one of Ty Lee's favorites in less than a day. She didn't really want to think of the implications of knowing the hero's voice inside out.

The customer left the shop with his arrangement, and Ty Lee approached the front desk nervously. Incognito's eyes locked with hers and Ty Lee swore that the same sparks that flew from their last fight flew here now. The staff's eyes were a piercing tawny cutting Ty Lee down just like those knives the hero cherished.

"How can I help you?" Human-Incognito asked.

Ty Lee was staring. She knew that she was staring but she couldn't help herself. The nametag on the apron read 'Mai'. Was Incognito's real name Mai? A forceful shake of the head and a deep breath got her out of her thoughts enough to be able to talk -- sort of.

"I like your earrings." She blurted out.

Human-Incognito (Mai?) raised an eyebrow and her right hand lifted to touch her sword earrings. She didn't smile, but she did nod and say thanks.

Ty Lee flushed and rushed out the reason she was here for. "I was gonna get some flowers for my room, could you help me chose a bouquet?"

"Of course." The worker bent down and got out a thick binder that slammed on the desk. "Do you have any specifications?"

"Oh... umm...." Ty Lee's mind went blank. She just wanted to hear the Flower Shop worker keep talking.

Incognito-out-of-disguise continued, and Ty Lee knew enough from working at retail as a teenager that it was a line from the script everyone was forced to memorize. "It's okay, you can take your time. I'll go over our options."

Ty Lee nodded, anything to keep nametag-Mai talking.

And talk she did, her customer voice was a totally different tone from her sardonic one when they fought. Ty Lee found herself suddenly really interested in the selection of pansies, which Incognito went into great detail about.

"I'll have the yellow carnations." Ty Lee said once the whole walk through was done.

Flower Shop Incognito nodded and went into the back room to grab some. Ty Lee took the time to bury her head in her hands in embarrassment. What was she thinking? One employee talks like Incognito and has the same eyes and Ty Lee's head over heels? It simply wasn't fair. Nothing about her crush on Incognito was fair.

The employee returned and Ty Lee paid for her carnations. She gathered up all her courage to ask. "What's your name?"

"Mai." Came the reply.

"Thank you so much, Mai!" Ty Lee beamed before she turned around and practically power walked her way out of the store.

The last thought that filled her mind was what a pretty name Mai was.

A panicked phone call to Suki right after she left the shop raised a lot more questions.

"Um Ty Lee? Kinda busy here." Suki grunted, the sounds of a fight in the background.

"Yeah yeah whatever," Ty Lee bulldozed on. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME INCOGNITO WORKED AT MURA'S FLOWERS?"

"We're supposed to keep things confidential-- SOKKA DUCK."

A large crash could be heard.

"What am I supposed to do with this information???"

"Maybe, I don't know, talk to her?" Suki yelled over Sokka's screams.

"WHAT?! No." Ty Lee glanced down at the bouquet in hand, blushing.

"Well you'll figure something out, I gottago there'saBIGboulderLOOKOUT--!" The line cut off.

Honestly, how rude of Suki to cut off their conversation. Didn't she understand that Ty Lee's romantic life was more important than whatever villain she was fighting? (Ty Lee was joking, of course).

She meandered around the shopping district, a foolish smile on her face. The bouquet in her hands was handpicked by Incognito, the superhero that Ty Lee had a crush on. Just the thought sent butterflies in her stomach. Now, if only Ty Lee could get Incognito to like her back, maybe her life would then be complete.

It was amusing thinking that _Incognito_ worked at a flower shop. Ty Lee wouldn't have ever guessed that, off-put by how the hero's prickly personality did not reflect sunshine and rainbows like how one would assume a florist to act like. But her sarcastic edge wad what made Incognito so much fun! And she was so graceful too when she fought and she always thought of creative ways to defeat her opponents and Ty Lee was rambling about her crush again.

Ty Lee found herself secretly thanking the Blind Bandit for this tip and grinning maniacally as an idea began to take shape inside her mind. Perhaps winning over Incognito was possible after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Suki for having to put up with socially inept Fire Nation kids, she's the real MVP


End file.
